Chapter 6
Why worry, there should be laughter after pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
Dire Straits, Why Worry
Ensign Cutler was whisteling happily while she was putting away some samples she had gathered on the small class M planet they were currently exploring. Yesterday they had taken the new Armoury Officer on board and were now able to continue their journey as complete crew. The away mission today had been the first visit to a new planet since Lieutenant Reed's death, and it had been very awkward in the beginning. Malcolm's absence had been too obvious and the new Armoury Officer - 'Picard,' Cutler reminded herself sternly, 'his name is Picard' - had seemed like an intruder. But after a few hours the tension had lessened and even Captain Archer, who had seemed somewhat depressed in the last days, had been smiling and obviously having a good time. 'I think the crew's getting over it,' Cutler thought. 'Especially Captain Archer. It was shock for him, for us all, to lose Malcolm like that, but I think we're getting over it.'
Suddenly she heard a thud and looked toward the door that was standing open.
"Doctor?" she called. When she got no response, she walked out of the laboratory into sickbay, looking around. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks and gaped. Kneeling next to one of the biobeds was...
"No. Nonononono, that's impossible," she murmured and jumped as the man kneeling on the floor lifted his head and looked around. His gaze swept across sickbay, and then he finally noticed her. Lieutenant Reed smiled.
"Ensign Cutler. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
Breaking away from his gaze she blinked and shook her head violently. But when she openend her eyes he was still there, and trying to get up. Hurrying over to him, she helped him sit down on the biobed.
"Thank you Ensign, but I'm fine." he said.
"No! You're dead!" she exclaimed. He looked at her, startled, and she considered what she had just said. "Well, at least we thought you were dead..." she added hastily. Reed chuckled.
"Seems like I came to the right point in time." he murmured. Giving him a careful look, Cutler retreated a step backwards. "Ahem, I'm going to call Dr. Phlox...and Captain Archer." she said. It seemed like the right thing to do and besides, she wanted someone to come and tell her that the man sitting on the biobed was no hallucination but really Lieutenant Reed. He just nodded and started fiddling with a small silver device she hadn't noticed before. Turning she hurried to the nearest comm and called for Captain Archer.
-###-
A part of Malcolm wondered why he wasn't beside himself with happiness to be back on Enterprise, but only a small one. The rest of him was occupied with the task of ignoring the raging pain in his head and figuring out how to make the temporal resequencer work. When he had left, Daniels had been surrounded by two Suliban, and Reed had taken the only get-away chance with him into the 22nd century. So if he didn't find out how to send the resequencer back Daniels wouldn't have a chance. Pushing some buttons he hoped to hit the one that made the three-D-charts appear. That didn't happen, though, instead a group of numbers popped up on the display.
"Bloody hell!" Malcolm murmured and studied the display. The numbers looked like coordinates, only that there were four parts instead of the normal three. 'Time coordinates,' he thought and stared at the surplus numbers.
'Well, I don't know the coordinates anyway. Let's just hope these are the right ones', he thought and hit the red button. The glimmering gate appeared.
"What are you doing?" he heard Cutler's amazed voice from behind him.
"Trying to send this thing into a living room of an apartment in Germany of 1985." he said without turning and tossed the resequencer into the gate. As soon as it had passed through the glimmering frame disappeared, taking the device with it. Cutler gasped.
"Oo-kay, I *don't* want to know what you just meant by that or what you just did." she said.
"No, I wish I wouldn't either." Malcolm said, starting to shake his head but stopping immediately as the room began to turn slowly. He grabbed the side of the biobed for support but would have fallen anyway if Cutler hadn't grabbed him by the shoulders, steadying him.
"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" she asked. "You look..." Then she cried out in surprise as Daniels appeared suddenly beside her. He looked around, orienting himself, then his gaze fell on Reed and Cutler.
"Lieutenant, Ensign." He nodded greetingly. "Permission to come on board?"
Cutler stared at him wide-eyed and Reed just opened his mouth to speak when they heard a furious voice from the door.
"What the hell are *you* doing on my ship *again*?"
Archer marched through the door, closely followed by Dr. Phlox. Daniels quickly turned and smiled.
"Captain Archer!"
"What are you doing here? You said you wouldn't..." Archer stopped and gaped at Reed.
"Hello, sir."
"What the *hell*? Malcolm?" Archer's gaze swept to Daniels. "Would you mind explaining that?"
"Not at all, Captain. Lieutenant, how are you feeling?"
"I've got a bit of a headache but nothing that could keep me from hearing that explanation." Reed slid off the biobed and immediately started swaying. Phlox stepped forward and pushed him back onto the biobed.
"I'm afraid it *will* keep you from hearing the explanation. I don't know what's causing your condition but you wont leave sickbay before I find out. By the way, welcome back, Lieutenant."
Reed groaned. "Please, Captain, don't let him lock me up in sickbay the first day I'm back!"
"I'm afraid the Captain can't say much in that matter since in sickbay I'm in command." Phlox smiled. "But I promise I will let you go as soon as possible."
Malcolm opened his mouth to protest as something cold stirred at his neck. The hypospray hissed and he felt himself relax.
"That was mean." he murmured as his eyelids slid closed.
"Maybe, Lieutenant, but it makes my work much easier." Phlox turned to Daniels and the Captain. "I gather the Lieutenant was brought back by you?" he asked, looking at Daniels.
"That's right," he answered.
"You wouldn't by any chance know what's causing his condition?"
"In fact I do. The Suliban implanted the Lieutenant a small device to be able to observe his actions."
"What?!" Archer exclaimed.
"I'll explain in a minute, captain." Daniels said to Archer and turned back to Phlox. "I suppose the Lieutenant's body reacted very violent. As far as I know the implant didn't work, either. It's a very new technology developed by the Cabal."
"Thank you, Mr Daniels." Phlox said and smiled his broad smile.
"And now, Daniels, I want a complete explanation." Archer said, his arms crossed over his chest. Daniels smiled.
"That you will get, Captain. Gold-framed."
-###-
"So the Suliban set a trap to catch you and implant you that device so they could send you back to the 20th century and find out where your agent there was hiding. But it didn't work and so they just took Malcolm instead of you." Archer summed up the half-hour-explanation he, T'Pol and Trip had received in the Captain's ready room. Daniels nodded. "That's pretty much it."
"That's the craziest story I've ever heard. But I believe you, I think I have to since you have Malcolm to proof it." Archer shook his head and looked at T'Pol. "What do you think, Subcommander?"
"Although I am still sceptical concerning time travel I must admit that this story explains a lot. Even though in a very...creative way," she added and lifted an eyebrow at Daniels, who shrugged apologetically.
"You have to be creative if you're dealing with time travel. And a little crazy too, for that matter. Well," he said, "I have to go. Now that I have the temporal resequencer, I don't have to be *creative* to return to the 31st century." He smiled at T'Pol who didn't look amused. "Captain, would you please thank Lieutenant Reed in my place for sending back the resequencer, it was a great help. And I apologize I wasn't able to give him the explanation I promised personally, but I think you can tell him."
"Why does Malcolm need an explanation?" Trip spoke up suddenly. "He was with ya, wasn't he?"
"He was with me but I couldn't tell him what was going on since I didn't know how much of the information I'd give him the Suliban would get as well by using the implant."
"I bet he loved that." Trip said smiling.
"He was a little...impatient, that's true." Daniels said and then turned to Archer. "Captain, I have to go. I apologize for causing you so much trouble and I hope I won't have to ask for your help again in the nearer future. Thank you and good-bye." He pushed the little red button on the resequencer and vanished through the glimmering gate.
"That's one of the people I love to see goin'." Trip said when Daniels was gone.
"Hey, he brought Malcolm back after all. But you're right, I always get a feeling of doom when he's in the room." Archer shook his head, then sighed. "T'Pol, how far are we away from the Skon?"
"53 hours at warp four," she answered.
"Tell Mayweather to set a course. We have one Armoury Officer too much."
"Aye sir." She got up and left the room. Archer stayed where he was, staring at his hands, lost in thoughts.
"So he's really back?" Trip asked after several minutes had passed. Archer looked up.
"Yeah, Trip, he's in sickbay. I've still trouble believing it, but it's true."
Trip shook his head, then laughed. "That's crazy. I mean...even his quarters are cleared, Picard already moved in there...oh my God what will Malcolm say when he hears that a Frenchman took over his armoury?"
Archer chuckled. "I don't think he'll be pleased. But then, it could have been the Queen and he'd still say she messed up his department."
"That's true." Trip said. "Captain, I know I'm still on duty, but..."
"Sure you can go see him. I'll come with you and see how he's doing."
-###-
"The implant was attached to his brainstem. I could remove it without problems, but unfortunately had to damage a crucial part of the device, so I'm afraid it will be useless for studies of any kind. What it did was that it analyzed the electrical impulses sent to Mr Reed's brain from any part of his body, especially from his sense organs and then forwarded them to the receiving person, who probably had a decoding gadget of some kind."
"Something like an artificial brain?" Trip asked. Phlox turned to him.
"Yes, that is probably the case, although I can't be sure of that since I only saw the implant. Well, the problem for the Suliban was that they didn't have much time for the surgery - fifteen minutes at the most. So they couldn't recalibrate the device and adjust it to the human brain. That means that the device couldn't analyze most of the signals sent to Mr Reed's brain, and with the standart-configurations that were probably meant for Suliban it wasn't compatible with the human brain, which probably led to either partial or complete memory loss and migraine. About the exact symtoms I'll have to ask Mr Reed himself when he wakes up."
"How is he?" Archer asked, gesturing at the drawn curtains that cut off a part of sickbay.
"He needs rest, but else, he will be fit for duty in three or four days. Right now he's sleeping, but he should wake up during the next twenty minutes."
Archer nodded. "I have to return to the bridge, but if you want to wait, Trip...I think Lieutenant Hess can manage an hour or two without your supervision."
"Thanks, Cap'n."
-###-
He woke up slowly, first hearing the faint beeping of instruments, then seeing warm light behind his eyelids. He carefully opened his eyes, sqinting at the bright light. When his eyes had adjusted he blinked a few times and looked around. He was back on Enterprise. That was good. And he was in sickbay. That wasn't as great, but he was sure he could rectify that situation without too much trouble. Then he noticed someone sitting beside his biobed. Trip.
"Welcome home." Tucker said with a broad smile. Reed smiled, too.
"Hi Trip." He tried to sit up, and Tucker slid a hand behind his back, helping him. Reed blinked as dizzyness shortly blurred his vision, then the world came back into focus.
"My head doesn't hurt anymore," he stated.
"Yeah, the doc removed the implant."
"Implant?" he asked. "What implant?"
"I'll tell you later. Now tell me, how're you feelin'?"
"Better. Like I said, my head doesn't hurt anymore, and I'm back on Enterprise." Reed smiled slightly. "I don't think there's been a time during the last three weeks that I've felt better."
"You were there that long?" Tucker asked, surprised.
"Yes. Why, how long has it been here?"
"About two weeks. Long enough if you ask me. My God, Malcolm, we thought you were dead. I...I held the speech on your memorial service."
"You did that?"
"Yes I did, and it wasn't funny, I can tell you. Don't you ever make me do that again!"
"I don't think I really have any control over that."
"No." Tucker lowered his gaze. "Of course, nobody does. I'm sorry, I didn't want to yell at you. It's just...that I'm so relieved to actually be able to talk to you again." He looked up and Reed saw the slightest hint of tears in the other man's eyes. He reached out and put his hand on Tucker's arm.
"You don't know how relieved *I* am. I really thought I had to stay in 1985 for the rest of my life. I even had a job already."
Tucker lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? What did you do?"
"I carried boxes."
"You did what?"
"I carried boxes. In a warehouse. Take a box from a stack, carry it to the other end of the warehouse and put it onto another stack. Six hours a day."
Tucker grinned. "Sounds like the holiday jobs I had to get the money for my licence."
"That thought crossed my mind too." Reed chuckled, then yawned. Tucker immediately got up.
"I've been keeping you from getting better now long enough, I think."
"No," Reed protested. "I'm fine, really."
"I have to get back on duty anyway. I still have two hours of my shift left. Get some rest. Doctor's orders."
"Right." Reed said and rolled his eyes. Tucker laughed and disappeared through the curtains.
Laying back down, Reed let his gaze sweep over sickbay. 'I'm back on Enterprise,' he thought. 'I'm home.' Smiling, he closed his eyes, and minutes later was asleep again.
THE END
Why worry, there should be laughter after pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
Dire Straits, Why Worry
Ensign Cutler was whisteling happily while she was putting away some samples she had gathered on the small class M planet they were currently exploring. Yesterday they had taken the new Armoury Officer on board and were now able to continue their journey as complete crew. The away mission today had been the first visit to a new planet since Lieutenant Reed's death, and it had been very awkward in the beginning. Malcolm's absence had been too obvious and the new Armoury Officer - 'Picard,' Cutler reminded herself sternly, 'his name is Picard' - had seemed like an intruder. But after a few hours the tension had lessened and even Captain Archer, who had seemed somewhat depressed in the last days, had been smiling and obviously having a good time. 'I think the crew's getting over it,' Cutler thought. 'Especially Captain Archer. It was shock for him, for us all, to lose Malcolm like that, but I think we're getting over it.'
Suddenly she heard a thud and looked toward the door that was standing open.
"Doctor?" she called. When she got no response, she walked out of the laboratory into sickbay, looking around. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks and gaped. Kneeling next to one of the biobeds was...
"No. Nonononono, that's impossible," she murmured and jumped as the man kneeling on the floor lifted his head and looked around. His gaze swept across sickbay, and then he finally noticed her. Lieutenant Reed smiled.
"Ensign Cutler. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
Breaking away from his gaze she blinked and shook her head violently. But when she openend her eyes he was still there, and trying to get up. Hurrying over to him, she helped him sit down on the biobed.
"Thank you Ensign, but I'm fine." he said.
"No! You're dead!" she exclaimed. He looked at her, startled, and she considered what she had just said. "Well, at least we thought you were dead..." she added hastily. Reed chuckled.
"Seems like I came to the right point in time." he murmured. Giving him a careful look, Cutler retreated a step backwards. "Ahem, I'm going to call Dr. Phlox...and Captain Archer." she said. It seemed like the right thing to do and besides, she wanted someone to come and tell her that the man sitting on the biobed was no hallucination but really Lieutenant Reed. He just nodded and started fiddling with a small silver device she hadn't noticed before. Turning she hurried to the nearest comm and called for Captain Archer.
-###-
A part of Malcolm wondered why he wasn't beside himself with happiness to be back on Enterprise, but only a small one. The rest of him was occupied with the task of ignoring the raging pain in his head and figuring out how to make the temporal resequencer work. When he had left, Daniels had been surrounded by two Suliban, and Reed had taken the only get-away chance with him into the 22nd century. So if he didn't find out how to send the resequencer back Daniels wouldn't have a chance. Pushing some buttons he hoped to hit the one that made the three-D-charts appear. That didn't happen, though, instead a group of numbers popped up on the display.
"Bloody hell!" Malcolm murmured and studied the display. The numbers looked like coordinates, only that there were four parts instead of the normal three. 'Time coordinates,' he thought and stared at the surplus numbers.
'Well, I don't know the coordinates anyway. Let's just hope these are the right ones', he thought and hit the red button. The glimmering gate appeared.
"What are you doing?" he heard Cutler's amazed voice from behind him.
"Trying to send this thing into a living room of an apartment in Germany of 1985." he said without turning and tossed the resequencer into the gate. As soon as it had passed through the glimmering frame disappeared, taking the device with it. Cutler gasped.
"Oo-kay, I *don't* want to know what you just meant by that or what you just did." she said.
"No, I wish I wouldn't either." Malcolm said, starting to shake his head but stopping immediately as the room began to turn slowly. He grabbed the side of the biobed for support but would have fallen anyway if Cutler hadn't grabbed him by the shoulders, steadying him.
"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" she asked. "You look..." Then she cried out in surprise as Daniels appeared suddenly beside her. He looked around, orienting himself, then his gaze fell on Reed and Cutler.
"Lieutenant, Ensign." He nodded greetingly. "Permission to come on board?"
Cutler stared at him wide-eyed and Reed just opened his mouth to speak when they heard a furious voice from the door.
"What the hell are *you* doing on my ship *again*?"
Archer marched through the door, closely followed by Dr. Phlox. Daniels quickly turned and smiled.
"Captain Archer!"
"What are you doing here? You said you wouldn't..." Archer stopped and gaped at Reed.
"Hello, sir."
"What the *hell*? Malcolm?" Archer's gaze swept to Daniels. "Would you mind explaining that?"
"Not at all, Captain. Lieutenant, how are you feeling?"
"I've got a bit of a headache but nothing that could keep me from hearing that explanation." Reed slid off the biobed and immediately started swaying. Phlox stepped forward and pushed him back onto the biobed.
"I'm afraid it *will* keep you from hearing the explanation. I don't know what's causing your condition but you wont leave sickbay before I find out. By the way, welcome back, Lieutenant."
Reed groaned. "Please, Captain, don't let him lock me up in sickbay the first day I'm back!"
"I'm afraid the Captain can't say much in that matter since in sickbay I'm in command." Phlox smiled. "But I promise I will let you go as soon as possible."
Malcolm opened his mouth to protest as something cold stirred at his neck. The hypospray hissed and he felt himself relax.
"That was mean." he murmured as his eyelids slid closed.
"Maybe, Lieutenant, but it makes my work much easier." Phlox turned to Daniels and the Captain. "I gather the Lieutenant was brought back by you?" he asked, looking at Daniels.
"That's right," he answered.
"You wouldn't by any chance know what's causing his condition?"
"In fact I do. The Suliban implanted the Lieutenant a small device to be able to observe his actions."
"What?!" Archer exclaimed.
"I'll explain in a minute, captain." Daniels said to Archer and turned back to Phlox. "I suppose the Lieutenant's body reacted very violent. As far as I know the implant didn't work, either. It's a very new technology developed by the Cabal."
"Thank you, Mr Daniels." Phlox said and smiled his broad smile.
"And now, Daniels, I want a complete explanation." Archer said, his arms crossed over his chest. Daniels smiled.
"That you will get, Captain. Gold-framed."
-###-
"So the Suliban set a trap to catch you and implant you that device so they could send you back to the 20th century and find out where your agent there was hiding. But it didn't work and so they just took Malcolm instead of you." Archer summed up the half-hour-explanation he, T'Pol and Trip had received in the Captain's ready room. Daniels nodded. "That's pretty much it."
"That's the craziest story I've ever heard. But I believe you, I think I have to since you have Malcolm to proof it." Archer shook his head and looked at T'Pol. "What do you think, Subcommander?"
"Although I am still sceptical concerning time travel I must admit that this story explains a lot. Even though in a very...creative way," she added and lifted an eyebrow at Daniels, who shrugged apologetically.
"You have to be creative if you're dealing with time travel. And a little crazy too, for that matter. Well," he said, "I have to go. Now that I have the temporal resequencer, I don't have to be *creative* to return to the 31st century." He smiled at T'Pol who didn't look amused. "Captain, would you please thank Lieutenant Reed in my place for sending back the resequencer, it was a great help. And I apologize I wasn't able to give him the explanation I promised personally, but I think you can tell him."
"Why does Malcolm need an explanation?" Trip spoke up suddenly. "He was with ya, wasn't he?"
"He was with me but I couldn't tell him what was going on since I didn't know how much of the information I'd give him the Suliban would get as well by using the implant."
"I bet he loved that." Trip said smiling.
"He was a little...impatient, that's true." Daniels said and then turned to Archer. "Captain, I have to go. I apologize for causing you so much trouble and I hope I won't have to ask for your help again in the nearer future. Thank you and good-bye." He pushed the little red button on the resequencer and vanished through the glimmering gate.
"That's one of the people I love to see goin'." Trip said when Daniels was gone.
"Hey, he brought Malcolm back after all. But you're right, I always get a feeling of doom when he's in the room." Archer shook his head, then sighed. "T'Pol, how far are we away from the Skon?"
"53 hours at warp four," she answered.
"Tell Mayweather to set a course. We have one Armoury Officer too much."
"Aye sir." She got up and left the room. Archer stayed where he was, staring at his hands, lost in thoughts.
"So he's really back?" Trip asked after several minutes had passed. Archer looked up.
"Yeah, Trip, he's in sickbay. I've still trouble believing it, but it's true."
Trip shook his head, then laughed. "That's crazy. I mean...even his quarters are cleared, Picard already moved in there...oh my God what will Malcolm say when he hears that a Frenchman took over his armoury?"
Archer chuckled. "I don't think he'll be pleased. But then, it could have been the Queen and he'd still say she messed up his department."
"That's true." Trip said. "Captain, I know I'm still on duty, but..."
"Sure you can go see him. I'll come with you and see how he's doing."
-###-
"The implant was attached to his brainstem. I could remove it without problems, but unfortunately had to damage a crucial part of the device, so I'm afraid it will be useless for studies of any kind. What it did was that it analyzed the electrical impulses sent to Mr Reed's brain from any part of his body, especially from his sense organs and then forwarded them to the receiving person, who probably had a decoding gadget of some kind."
"Something like an artificial brain?" Trip asked. Phlox turned to him.
"Yes, that is probably the case, although I can't be sure of that since I only saw the implant. Well, the problem for the Suliban was that they didn't have much time for the surgery - fifteen minutes at the most. So they couldn't recalibrate the device and adjust it to the human brain. That means that the device couldn't analyze most of the signals sent to Mr Reed's brain, and with the standart-configurations that were probably meant for Suliban it wasn't compatible with the human brain, which probably led to either partial or complete memory loss and migraine. About the exact symtoms I'll have to ask Mr Reed himself when he wakes up."
"How is he?" Archer asked, gesturing at the drawn curtains that cut off a part of sickbay.
"He needs rest, but else, he will be fit for duty in three or four days. Right now he's sleeping, but he should wake up during the next twenty minutes."
Archer nodded. "I have to return to the bridge, but if you want to wait, Trip...I think Lieutenant Hess can manage an hour or two without your supervision."
"Thanks, Cap'n."
-###-
He woke up slowly, first hearing the faint beeping of instruments, then seeing warm light behind his eyelids. He carefully opened his eyes, sqinting at the bright light. When his eyes had adjusted he blinked a few times and looked around. He was back on Enterprise. That was good. And he was in sickbay. That wasn't as great, but he was sure he could rectify that situation without too much trouble. Then he noticed someone sitting beside his biobed. Trip.
"Welcome home." Tucker said with a broad smile. Reed smiled, too.
"Hi Trip." He tried to sit up, and Tucker slid a hand behind his back, helping him. Reed blinked as dizzyness shortly blurred his vision, then the world came back into focus.
"My head doesn't hurt anymore," he stated.
"Yeah, the doc removed the implant."
"Implant?" he asked. "What implant?"
"I'll tell you later. Now tell me, how're you feelin'?"
"Better. Like I said, my head doesn't hurt anymore, and I'm back on Enterprise." Reed smiled slightly. "I don't think there's been a time during the last three weeks that I've felt better."
"You were there that long?" Tucker asked, surprised.
"Yes. Why, how long has it been here?"
"About two weeks. Long enough if you ask me. My God, Malcolm, we thought you were dead. I...I held the speech on your memorial service."
"You did that?"
"Yes I did, and it wasn't funny, I can tell you. Don't you ever make me do that again!"
"I don't think I really have any control over that."
"No." Tucker lowered his gaze. "Of course, nobody does. I'm sorry, I didn't want to yell at you. It's just...that I'm so relieved to actually be able to talk to you again." He looked up and Reed saw the slightest hint of tears in the other man's eyes. He reached out and put his hand on Tucker's arm.
"You don't know how relieved *I* am. I really thought I had to stay in 1985 for the rest of my life. I even had a job already."
Tucker lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? What did you do?"
"I carried boxes."
"You did what?"
"I carried boxes. In a warehouse. Take a box from a stack, carry it to the other end of the warehouse and put it onto another stack. Six hours a day."
Tucker grinned. "Sounds like the holiday jobs I had to get the money for my licence."
"That thought crossed my mind too." Reed chuckled, then yawned. Tucker immediately got up.
"I've been keeping you from getting better now long enough, I think."
"No," Reed protested. "I'm fine, really."
"I have to get back on duty anyway. I still have two hours of my shift left. Get some rest. Doctor's orders."
"Right." Reed said and rolled his eyes. Tucker laughed and disappeared through the curtains.
Laying back down, Reed let his gaze sweep over sickbay. 'I'm back on Enterprise,' he thought. 'I'm home.' Smiling, he closed his eyes, and minutes later was asleep again.
THE END