Note: Sorry it took so long to continue but I ran out of steam for a while. As always all reviews are appreciated.

Chapter 6

BRIDGE

Archer slowly picked himself off the floor, each muscle protesting with his movement. A small trickle of blood moved down the side of his face dripping off his chin and staining his uniform. He wiped away the blood from the gash on his cheek. His head was spinning, what the hell happened? Emergency lighting illuminated the bridge, looking around most of the crew was in the process of trying to stand up. Blue and white smoke filled the air along with the acrid smell of burnt circuitry. "Get those fires out, now," Archer commanded. Two crewmen grabbed extinguishers and went to work.

Archer bent over the stilled form of T'pol. He touched her back, "T'pol, can you hear me?"

Unemotionally she said, "I hear you Captain, I am assessing my condition. I believe my left wrist is broken and I have multiple bruises but am otherwise unhurt." Archer reached down a hand and helped her up and into her chair. "Stay put for now Sub-Commander." She stared at him a little dazed, "I wasn't going anywhere Captain."

"Good," Archer replied.

"Hoshi, what about you?"

Hoshi's hair was hanging in tangles around her face and a smudge of dirt was smeared across her forehead, but she was sitting at her station checking the communication system, "I'm fine Sir, just a little shaky, but the communication board is toast. There's no way to find out what's happening on the ship."

"Travis, are you in one piece?"

Turning from his station he said, "Yes Sir, but we're dead in the water. My navigation board is dark. Whatever happened pretty much shut Enterprise down."

He asked the bridge at large, "What do we have!?"

T'pol answered, "We have life support Captain, and the doors and turbo lift are working for now, however the power levels are dropping. I estimate we will lose life support in 3 hours unless we can get power to the system."

"Alright, first things first. Everyone gets a communicator. Travis you go with T'pol to sickbay. I want a casualty report."

T'pol stood up, "Captain I don't need the Doctor; I should remain here and work on getting the power restored."

He gave her a don't argue with me look, "Fine Sub-Commander, after the Doc looks at your wrist."

"Hoshi, I want you to go to the armory. Leave a communicator with Malcolm then come back here, I want communications back up as soon as possible. I'll be in engineering, let's go."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ARMORY

Malcolm sat on the floor with his legs pulled up and his head resting on his knees. He wondered when the room would stop spinning. Every time he lifted his head another wave of dizziness and nausea gripped him.

Crewman Baker knelt beside Malcolm, "Lieutenant, are you alright?"

"Fine, if the room would stop spinning. Help me up." Baker hauled Malcolm to his feet and held on to him until he nodded he was o.k.

He walked over to the comm. and pushed the button. "Reed to the bridge." He waited a few seconds then a second time, "Reed to the Captain." Turning from the comm. he address Baker, "What's our situation?"

Baker responded, "Well Sir, from what I can tell we have no power. We have fried relays everywhere. I just hope we don't encounter any hostiles for awhile because we're helpless."

Malcolm said forcefully, "Bloody hell, Trip better have a damn good explanation for screwing with the modifications. Baker, I want you and Chambers to see what can be salvaged from the damaged circuits and wiring, I'm going to engineering find the Commander and wring his neck." He stalked out the door muttering what he was going to do to Trip when he reached him.

ENGINEERING

Coughing and cries for help were heard throughout engineering, "Engineering to sickbay, this is Lieutenant Hess, can anyone hear me? Please we need help." A blood encrusted finger fruitlessly continued pressing the button." Choking on a sob she turned to Lieutenant James, "No one's answering Ashley, what are we going to do?"

"First, you're going to calm down, we're no good to the crew if we become hysterical. We've been through simulations like this, we know what to do. The engine room is secured. I found six uninjured crew, they're helping the wounded until the medical team arrives."

"Have you found the Commander?" Hess asked apprehensively.

"Not yet, the last time I saw him he was on the walkway in front of the warp reactor. I'll keep looking for him, I want you to help with the injured. When I find the Commander he can tell us what to do, O.K.?"

Hess nodded her head and moved toward the nearest pile of twisted metal.

James walked toward the front of the reactor stepping over debris from the surrounding consoles and twisted metal from portions of the overhead catwalk that had fallen in the explosion. Rounding the corner of the reactor she was stopped by a wall of twisted debris. A beam had fallen taking with it the rest of the catwalk and crushing the walkway in front of the reactor. She was stunned, anyone standing on the walkway would have been crushed instantly.

Archer pushed open the door to engineering and stopped just inside. He was stunned, it looked like engineering had been picked up and slammed down, nothing had been spared. He saw Lieutenant James staring at the reactor, "Lieutenant, Where's Commander Tucker?"

Turning a white face to him she replied, "I think he's in there," pointing toward the twisted metal.

Staggered he asked, "Are you sure?"

"That was the last place I saw him before the explosion."

Archer's face turned to stone, he could taste the bile that rose into his mouth. Agonized thoughts whirled out of control, Trip couldn't be gone, rage built inside him at the injustice. They had just started this mission, Trip had to be here to see it through. He wanted to rip the debris apart and free him, it was his job to keep everyone safe and he had failed. His hand shook slightly as he pulled out his communicator, "Archer to Travis."

"Travis here, Sir."

"Are you in sickbay?"

"Yes Sir, I'm getting the casualty report from Doctor Phlox. His staff is swamped, at last count twenty-five people have reported to sickbay with broken bones, cuts, bruises, and concussion."

"Let me speak to Phlox," Archer said abruptly.

"Phlox here Captain, what can I do for you?"

"We have people trapped in engineering, I need you and a trauma team here immediately. I want Travis here too."

"We're on our way."

"Let me speak to T'pol."

"T'pol here Captain."

"I want you to get the rescue team together. They're scattered throughout the ship. I want them all here in 5 minutes."

"Yes, Captain," T'pol replied.

"Captain?" Malcolm enquired from the doorway. Stepping farther inside he gasped at the devastation. "Sir, what happened?"

"That's what I want to know," Archer grimly replied. "Right now we have a rescue mission on our hands. Did Hoshi give you a communicator?"

"I haven't seen Hoshi. I came here as soon as I could. I wanted to know what Commander Tucker did to cause the explosion." Looking at the damage Malcolm let out a low whistle, "by the way, where is the Commander hiding, I want to give him a piece of my mind."

Pointing to the mess in front of them Archer said plainly, "Possibly under that pile of rubble, we won't know until we can start clearing it away."

Startled Malcolm stared at the captain for a second then started toward the pile but Captain Archer grabbed his arm bringing him to a stand still. "I had the same idea Malcolm but if we start digging into that pile without knowing what we're doing it could shift and crush whoever is in there."

Malcolm paced back and forth, "We can't just stand here; he needs our help now."

The door behind them opened once again this time revealing Hoshi, Travis, and behind them the rescue team and Doctor Phlox with his medical team. Phlox dispatched his team to various areas of engineering to start evaluating and moving the injured to sickbay. The head of the rescue team Lieutenant Murphy headed straight for the Captain.

"Sir," Murphy said, "where would you like us to start?"

Archer pointed toward the debris where the Commander was last seen, "We believe there may be people trapped beneath that beam including Commander Tucker. I need you to get us in there so we can get to anyone who is trapped."

"Will do Captain." Murphy and his team went to work shoring up the beam and carefully removing debris around it searching for survivors.

Archer looked at the group huddled around him staring at the rescue workers, clearing his throat he said tersely, "Travis and Hoshi, I want you two back on the bridge. I want communications working as soon as possible, Travis give her a hand. Malcolm get back to the armory get it back into shape. I want a list of repairs needed in one hour, dismissed."

Malcolm opened his mouth to argue then noticed the stern look in Archer's eyes and shut his mouth nodding slightly. The three of them left engineering heading for their assignments.

Phlox looked the captain over carefully, noticing his rigid stance and clenched fists. "Captain you're not doing anyone any good here why don't you move among the rest of the crew and reassure them everything is under control."

Bewildered, Archer looked at the doctor, "did you say something Doctor?"

"I said you should check on the crew, let them see you're alright and everything is under control. You're not doing any good here. When the Commander is found I'll let you know." Phlox smiled gently at the captain, " it's for your own good captain, doctor's orders."

Clearing his throat from the lump that had formed he replied, "I'll do as you say Doctor but..."

"We found someone," Murphy shouted, "It's the Commander."





TBC.I thought this chapter was getting too long winded so I cut it into two chapters. The shuttle disaster also put things on hold for a few days. As always I would appreciate any and all reviews of my story. Thanks.