I'm not sure how long this story is going to be. Hopefully it won't get too boring. Tell me if I ramble too much. This is my first fanfic and I'm not quite sure how long it will take to end it. I thought my first story would only be 3 or 4 chapters long and here I am on chapter 8.

Warning: I know nothing about electronics or circuit boards so everything is made up in my explanation in the armory. Be kind.

CHAPTER 8

"T'pol to Captain Archer."

"Archer here, report," he said into the comm.

"Captain, come to the armory, the lieutenant and I have found something."

"On my way, Archer out." Pushing himself away from the wall, he walked slowly out of sickbay glancing at the surgery doors on his way out.

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"Captain I think we found the problem," Reed said. He handed the captain a small, partially melted, black circuit breaker, "I found that embedded in the circuitry panel that controlled the power shunt to engineering. When I tried to shut down the power to engineering it flipped the breaker sending a message to my board to increase power instead of cutting it off. It overloaded the system here and in engineering triggering the explosion."

Archer stared at the small piece of circuitry; this little thing nearly destroyed his ship. Mystified he asked, "Who would want to destroy Enterprise?" He looked from T'pol to Malcolm for the answer. Malcolm's face blushed red and he looked down at the floor.

"Lieutenant, since when did the floor hold such a fascination with you?" Archer asked evenly.

"I.I'm sorry Sir," he stammered.

Archer looked even more puzzled, "What's going on here?" T'pol you haven't said two words since I came in and Malcolm what are you sorry for? Somebody start talking because I'm losing my patience with you both."

T'pol spoke up, "Captain, the Lieutenant and I are .confused by our findings. Lieutenant Reed thinks you are going to, as he put it, "flip your wig," when we tell you the results of our analysis. I ran a bio-scan of the circuit breaker," T'pol lifted her chin a little higher and stared the captain in the eyes, "it contained residual DNA," she handed a PADD to the captain, "Commander Tucker's DNA."

"What!?" Captain Archer exploded. He read the results off the PADD shaking his head negatively.

"It is accurate Captain," T'pol stated strongly. "We ran the test five times with different scanners. There is no mistake. Commander Tucker is the last person to touch that breaker before the explosion. According to the scans, his DNA was left there sometime between 0800 and 1300 hours today.

"What I don't understand," Malcolm said, "is why he would take such a risk? Was he afraid I'd panic and pull the plug too soon?" Sarcastically he continued, "Maybe, he wanted extra insurance I wouldn't screw up his little test."

Irritability lined the captain's face and voice; "I don't care what the scan says, Trip would never be this reckless." He thrust the PADD back into T'pol's hands; "Sub-Commander, you and Malcolm go to engineering; find and analyze anything remotely connected to this disaster. Until we have all the pieces, I'm not accusing anyone of anything." Archer walked toward the door stopped and turned around, "another thing, what was said here goes no farther, understand? There's going to be enough speculation as it is I don't want innocent people hurt by false accusations. I'll be on the bridge if I'm needed."

Malcolm made a swipe at his forehead as if wiping sweat off, "that wasn't so bad. At least he didn't bite our heads off for even suggesting the commander might be at fault. I just hope the evidence we find clears the commander and not hangs him."

"I also want the commander cleared. It is uncharacteristic even for the commander to do something this foolish for the sake of an experiment. It is our duty Lieutenant to find evidence that clears the commander and points to some other explanation. I will meet you in engineering in thirty minutes; I need to collect a few things we will need." She nodded at him and moved through the door and down the corridor.

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Captain Archer contemplated the walls of the turbo lift as it whisked him to the bridge. He'd put it off long enough. He had to contact the Admiral and apprise him of the situation. He wasn't going to be happy with the report. Admiral Forrest was his staunchest supporter in Starfleet. The only reason he was Captain of Enterprise was because the Admiral believed he should have the chance to fulfill his father's dream.

Archer recalled one of the last conversations he'd had with the Admiral. He wasn't too happy when he chose Trip as his Chief Engineer, "I don't think you're making a wise choice here Jon. Choosing a close friend as your Chief Engineer may have serious repercussions. The Vulcan High Command and certain members of Starfleet are going to argue that you're showing favoritism in your assignments. Have you thought of the crew's reaction when they find out about your relationship with the commander?"

"Admiral, if Commander Tucker weren't a brilliant engineer he wouldn't be going. I'm not going to penalize him just because we're friends. I chose him not only because he can take apart, fix, and put together anything on my ship but because I do know him. I'd trust him with my life and my ship; he's going to be a great asset on this mission."

Archer slammed his fist into the wall, now he had to tell the Admiral Trip might be guilty of misconduct and causing serious damage to Enterprise. The lift stopped, smoothing his face into his captain's mask, Archer walked onto the bridge, he noticed Hoshi and Travis working on something at Hoshi's workstation. "Is everything alright ensigns?"

"The universal translator is still not working Captain," Hoshi answered. "I wish Commander Tucker were here, he could probably have it fixed in no time." It took a second for her to realize what she said; her face turned a deep crimson. Spinning around in her chair, she looked at the captain, "I'm sorry Sir, I wasn't thinking. I just meant." She stuttered to a stop.

"It's o.k. Hoshi, I know what you mean; the commander is a regular handy man," Archer said kindly. "Get me Admiral Forrest Hoshi, I think it's about time he knows what's happening. I'll be in my ready room."

"Yes, Sir," Hoshi replied.

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Engineering was a hive of activity. Welders were rebuilding the catwalk. Technicians were making a thorough inspection of the warp core, the injectors, and the nacelles. New workstations were being fitted into place. The debris had been cleared and a team of experts was separating the recyclable from the unsalvageable.

"I've found another piece, T'pol." Malcolm pulled a small, blackened circuit breaker from the bin where all the unsalvageable electronic parts had been thrown. "This could be a match for the one from the armory. Where's your scanner?"

T'pol was sitting on the floor in a corner of engineering surrounded by burnt parts from the warp core panel. "Bring it here Lieutenant and put it with the others."

Malcolm squatted beside T'pol, "I have a feeling about this one Sub- Commander, scan this one next."

T'pol looked at Malcolm questioningly, "How can a burnt piece of circuit give you a feeling Lieutenant?"

Holding the piece in question under her nose he replied, "It's called intuition, sometimes an inanimate object gives humans a feeling when they touch it. When I touched this piece my brain said this is it."

"We shall see," she replied skeptically. Taking the circuit breaker from his hand, she passed the scanner over it. Her eyebrows lifted in disbelief, "You are correct Lieutenant, this is a companion to the one in the armory." Picking up the bio-scanner she passed it over the circuit. She repeated the test twice more to be sure.

"Well T'pol what does it say?"

Slight signs of distress showed in her voice, "It confirms Commander Tucker was the last person to touch this device. I will inform the captain of this latest development, continue with your search Lieutenant there may be something here which will help the commander." Malcolm reached out a hand and helped T'pol to her feet.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Tell the captain I don't believe the commander is responsible for what happened. I'll analyze every circuit and piece of junk if it will help clear him."

"It may come to that," T'pol said dryly. Malcolm watched T'pol walk sedately out of engineering. "There must be an answer somewhere in this mess and I aim to find it." With a determined look on his face, he sat down in the middle of the pile and went to work.

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"From what you tell me Jon, it looks like the commander became obsessed with the idea of increasing the warp drive. You say his behavior the past couple months has been erratic. The Vulcan's are going to use that against him, and the physical evidence you told me about may just seal his fate. I'll hold the Vulcan's and Starfleet off as long as I can so you can complete your investigation but I can't promise anything. I'll talk to you in a few days." Archer nodded his head and cut the transmission with Admiral Forrest. God, he was tired. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes. The sound of the door buzzer jerked him awake.

"Come in."

The door slid open and T'pol walked through and stood before the captain. "I can see by your face you have something to report. Spill it Sub- Commander."

"I do not believe I have any expression on my face. However, I do have something to report. Lieutenant Reed found a matching circuit breaker in the rubble of engineering." She paused slightly, "preliminary scans show the commander's DNA is on it. The time frame is the same. Captain, I believe it is time to question the commander."

Wearily Archer stood up and fixed T'pol with a hard stare, "I'm aware of what needs to be done Sub-Commander, however Trip isn't available to be grilled right now, at this moment the Doctor is trying to keep him alive." He walked over to the window and stared at the stars. "I've spoken to Admiral Forrest, as we speak he is informing the Vulcan High Command and Starfleet of our situation. If I remember the procedure correctly, a board of inquiry will be set up to go over our data and make a recommendation."

"Captain, the Vulcan's will push to have the inquiry as quickly as possible to prevent any contamination of the data."

Turning around Archer snorted, "What you're really saying is they're afraid we'll cover up evidence to save our ass."

"Yes Captain, that's exactly what they will think. I recommend you appoint someone the Vulcan's trust to lead this investigation."

Smiling slightly Archer asked, "Who do you have in mind?"

"Myself Captain, my integrity will not be questioned because I am Vulcan and therefore impartial."

"Alright T'pol, all information pertaining to this incident will go straight to you, but I expect a report from you concerning your findings, and I want to be there when you question Trip, understand?"

"Completely Captain."

"T'pol, how long do you think we have before a board of inquiry will be convened?"

"Four days at the most."

"That doesn't give you a lot of time to clear Commander Tucker. What are you waiting for?"

T'pol gave the captain a disdainful look then turned and left the room.

"Doctor Phlox to the captain."

Crossing to his desk, he pressed the comm. switch, "Archer here."

"Commander Tucker is out of surgery and is stable. Can you come to sickbay, he is refusing to rest until he speaks to you."

"I'm on my way Doc." Archer quickly left his ready room.

"T'pol wait up," Archer called.

T'pol stopped at the lift doors waiting for the captain to catch up.

"Doc says Trip is awake, now is our chance to get some answers." They stepped into the lift and headed for sickbay.

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Doctor Phlox smiled at T'pol and the captain when they walked through his doors, "Captain, Sub-Commander, I'm glad you were quick in coming. Perhaps you can convince Commander Tucker he needs to rest; he stubbornly refuses any medication until he speaks with you."

"How's he doing?" Archer asked.

"I was able to stop the hemorrhaging, if he behaves himself he'll recover. Captain, don't stay to long and try not to upset him."

"I promise we'll try to be brief." Archer smiled the closer he got to the commander. Apparently, the commander took great exception to the technician who was trying to convince him to be sedated.

Trip bellowed, "get the hell away from me with that thang, or I'll shove it up your."

"Commander," Archer interrupted shoving aside the curtain. "What's going on in here?" The technician slid around the captain and T'pol giving Trip a dirty look as he exited the area.

"Doc says you wanted to see me. Do you need something?"

"What I need is, ta know what the hell is happenin'? Doc won't tell me anything. Has the cause of the overload been found. Why didn't the system shut down when Malcolm and I cut the power?" Trip moved restlessly against his pillow. "Why am I bein' kept in the dark?"

"Slow down Trip, you're not being kept in the dark." Archer gave T'pol a warning glance. "It's been a little hectic around here for the past several hours. Many of the ships systems had to be repaired. As for engineering, it took the brunt of the damage but repair crews are quickly getting things up and running."

T'pol interjected, "as for the cause of the overload it is being investigated."

Trip looked from one to the other suspiciously, "what aren't ya tellin' me?"

"Commander," Tpol said, "After you and Malcolm made the initial modifications to the systems for the test, did you go back later and make any adjustments?"

Trip knitted his eyebrows in concentration, "adjustments, what kind of adjustments?" He looked at the captain for clarification.

"Trip, did you add anything to the power shunts in the armory or engineering?" Archer asked.

Puzzled by the question he asked, "why would I add anything?" He looked from T'pol's rigid stance to the captains obvious discomfort and repeated, "Cap'm, why would I add anything?"

T'pol answered, "Lieutenant Reed and I found circuit breakers embedded in the power shunts of engineering and the armory. When the power was cut in the armory, it flipped the switch causing a power surge not a shut down. We found the same evidence in engineering."

"That's impossible," Trip protested. "No one in their right mind would do something like that. It could blow the ship apart." Comprehension dawned on his face. He saw the unspoken question on the captain's face. "Ya think I put those breakers in don't ya. Cap'm, ya know I'd never endanger this ship. It's crazy."

"I don't believe you'd do anything to intentionally harm us," Archer replied quietly. " The trouble is Trip, those circuit breakers have your DNA on it, making you the last person to touch them. Can you explain why?"

"Explain why Captain," he replied agitated. "I'll tell ya why," his voice rising with each word. "I'm an engineer, I use circuit breakers regularly along with dozens of other electronic parts to keep this ship together." Sarcastically he continued, "I'm sure if ya scan any part of this ship you'll find my fingerprints, maybe ya should check to make sure I haven't sabotaged the rest of the ship."

"Getting upset Commander is pointless." T'pol said. "I must know who placed the circuit breakers in the armory and engineering thus causing the explosion. If I cannot find evidence to the contrary, you will be held accountable for the incident based on the evidence."

"Captain, Sub-Commander, I asked that my patient not be upset." Doctor Phlox said as he rounded the curtain. "I want both of you to leave now. You can finish your conversation another time." Moving to a tray sitting by the bed, he picked up a hypo spray and pressed it to Trip's neck. Trip's eyes immediately took on a far away look and his lids began to close.

"I.did.not.do.it," Trip enunciated slowly. Captain Archer placed his hand on Trip's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I know, Trip. I won't let you be blamed for something you aren't capable of doing." Trip nodded and smiled as he drifted off.

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TBC...Can anyone guess who the bad guy is? Chapter 9 coming soon. Please read and review. Thanks so much for your encouragement.