Buffy was walking down the passageway to the gym when she felt something. She stopped, scanning the passageway for the danger she felt when two figures suddenly appeared on the ceiling like a yellow spiderman. They jumped down and tried to grab Buffy, "Oh no you don't!" she snarled. She spun kicked one, slamming him into the wall, the other she punched in the face, his blood spraying the wall in an ugly design. She didn't see the third drop behind her, but she felt the prick in her neck and then her world went black.
Jon was on the bridge reading design specs for a new weapons upgrade when T'pol sucked in a breath. "Captain. A Suliban ship just decloaked and is moving away."
He strode over to her station, looked into the scope and snapped, "Hoshi, on screen!"
Yes, there it was, moving away at impulse before it cloaked again and disappeared. "Tactical alert Mr. Reed. Travis follow at impulse to the place it cloaked"
"Aye Sir."
Trip was heading down the passageway quickly, having already checked Engineering when he saw a lump in the hallway. He belatedly recognized Buffy's gym bag, and stopped, seeing the blood spray on the wall. He opened his communicator, "Tucker to bridge."
"Go ahead Commander." Came Malcolm's voice.
"Mal, you and the Cap'n need to come to the passageway by the gym. Now." Trip said, his voice urgent. He didn't touch anything but looked at the blood and called Dr. Phlox as well.
Dr. Phlox arrived first from the other direction to find a grim Commander Tucker pacing.
His head came up, "Don't come any further Doc. We need to wait for the Cap'n and Mal." The Doctor's face was puzzled and he was about to open his mouth to ask a question when the Captain and Lt. Reed arrived.
"What's up Trip?" The Captain asked but Malcolm eyes were reading the signs.
"The Suliban have Buffy." He said grimly.
Trip closed his eyes, "I was hopin' I was wrong." He said softly.
Malcolm looked at the scene, "Here's Buffy's gym bag, here's her hair clip." His sharp eyes moved up, "Here's blood spray, someone was hit quite hard." He noticed the other wall, "Here's a bit of damage as well from a bodily impact. Doctor, we'll need to know whose blood this is." The Doctor nodded and began to work.
Jon was motionless. His world had just crashed around him.
They watched the Doctor take a sample of the blood and bustle to sick bay. Jon knelt and opened Buffy's gym bag with an unsteady hand and pulled out her communicator. "Remind me to make sure Buffy actually carries her communicator from now on." He took her hairclip and her bag and stood, "Trip, after the results get someone to clean this up. Malcolm, meet me at Daniel's quarters."
"Aye Captain." The men chorused, neither of them liking the shadows in their Captain's eyes.
Jon strode to his quarters entering his code and walking in. Porthos greeted him then sniffed at Buffy's bag and barked. "I know boy." He said absently. He wasn't sure how he felt. Lost. Alone. He shook his head, he'd find her. He had to….because he loved her. He shuddered out a breath, 'Great, an epiphany too late. I love Buffy but it was too late to tell her. Nothing like a little irony.' He patted Porthos and left to go meet Malcolm, an inkling of an idea in his mind.
Malcolm stood in front of Daniel's quarters and gazed blankly at the door. What they needed was some way to trace the cloaked Suliban ship. His head came up to watch his Captain grimly approach the door, standing silently as the locking mechanism was removed and they went inside.
"I think we should try to locate the Suliban's warp signature. Even cloaked they would still leave emissions wouldn't they?" Malcolm asked.
The Captain looked at him, "Yeah, you'd think so." He went over to the cabinet, pulled open a door and removed a small device. He set it on a table and activated it.
They watched as various ships scrolled past on the database. Then they found the Suliban's ships. Slowing down they found the one they saw and read about it.
"I think we need Commander Tucker." Malcolm sighed as the Engineering specs made his eyes cross. He stood, waiting until the Captain nodded permission and went to the com unit.
"Commander Tucker."
"Yeah Mal, what is it?"
"Can you meet the Captain and myself?" Trip thought for a moment, oh, Daniel's quarters. "Be right there, Tucker out."
Trip arrived and they pondered the idea, then called T'pol. She was intrigued and added her input for a way to reconfigure the sensors to track the ship. The Captain stood, "Let's do it!"
Buffy woke slowly, hearing an unfamiliar language. The drug kept her immobile, her eyes closed, making it appear she was still asleep.
"I'm telling you she is a time traveler." Silik's second in commanded reported to him. Silik shook his head, "Impossible. She looks like the woman on Risa."
The other man shrugged, "I heard the crew member passing underneath speak of her being born in the Earth's past."
At this Silik frowned thoughtfully, "She has nothing on her to help her move through time."
"Natural ability?"
"Perhaps."
Buffy twitched, then groaned and sat up. "I really hate being drugged." She complained, eyeing the Suliban outside of her cell.
"What do I have to do to get a drink around here?" she asked, getting to her feet and beginning to stretch the kinks out of her body.
Silik looked at her, "Who are you?"
Buffy smiled sweetly, "Gee Silik, I'm the woman who kicked your ass. I'm hurt that you don't remember me."
"Your name!" he demanded. Buffy shrugged, "Cordy Giles." She lied smoothly.
"Well Cordy, I understand that you're from the past." His cold golden eyes raked her and she smiled, "Aren't we all?" She stretched up, reaching for the ceiling, "How about that drink?"
"No drink until I get more information."
She shrugged again, "Have it your way. No drink, no information." She moved smoothly into the first form of Tai Chi and ignored her audience. As she continued to go through the various forms she could feel Silik's irritation rising.
Silik gave a frustrated growl, "Get her the water." Buffy's face didn't change but she was dancing up and down inside. The water was brought and Buffy made them wait while she finished her form. She took the water with a quiet thank you and sipped, eyeing her captors and the area. The Suliban looked like they had skin of pebbly grapefruits and golden eyes that reminded her of a cat.
"Tell me what you know of the Temporal War." Silik demanded, not really expecting an answer.
"Hmm, well. There is a group of bad guys that couldn't win in their future do decided to cheat and send people in the past to try to change time. They can't stand that someone bested them and they're sore losers. No better than thieves." She took another sip, "Anyway, that's what I know. Oh wait," her eyes went wide, ignoring the increasing anger on Silik's face, "There is a puppet master who is holding the strings. Suliban puppets, Tholian puppets and whoever else. He's the ultimate loser, doesn't learn from his mistakes. What is that saying? Those who don't learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them?" She smiled, delighted that she remembered the saying that Giles was fond of quoting to the Scoobies.
Silik was incensed, he turned to the man beside him, "Beat her."
