Interludes: Forgotten Pasts
Epilogue
"Don't you think we should have found him by now?" Trip Tucker asked as he and Captain Archer walked through the desert like surface of the planet. "Do you think he found cover?"
Archer glanced at his companion giving the man he considered his best friend. "Don't worry so much Trip. Malcolm will be just fine."
"You bet I am Captain." A familiar English voice said from above them.
Archer and Trip looked up to find Malcolm Reed sitting on the upper ledge of a small cliff. He smiled down at them while petting a wolf like creature sitting next to him like they were old friends.
"Malcolm?" Archer asked uncertain of the Weapons officer's behavior.
"Yes Captain?" Malcolm asked still petting the creature.
"What are you doing?" Archer asked.
Malcolm smiled the first true smile Archer and Trip had ever seen on him. "Enjoying the view, waiting for you two, and holding a conversation with Ethro here." He answered patting the creatures head.
"Conversation?" Trip asked. "How?"
"Telepath Commander," Malcolm answered with another smile. "It is how his race communicates. I must say he gave me quite a fright last night, all a misunderstanding mind you. He was very interested in Humans and offered to start negotiations to learn more about our culture."
"Err." Archer started still a bit unbelieving.
"That is." Malcolm continued "If Ethro wasn't the last of his kind. Now he just wishes to get off this planet. I'm sure Dr. Phlox would love to learn about him and Hoshi could learn about Telepaths communications."
Archer and Trip stared at him blankly.
"Err.he followed me home can I keep him?" Malcolm tried. When they continued to look at him blankly Malcolm tweaked the wolf's ear. :Hey no controlling their minds.: In his own head he felt more then heard an echo of laughter as the creature released the officers.
: I'm sure you don't want them asking certain questions about where you've really been.: Ethro's voice floated into his mind. :Favor for Favor. They are unharmed I promise.:
Malcolm didn't seem convinced but kept his mouth shut on that part. :What did you do then?:
Another chuckle. :Oh, reminded them that I'm your pet wolf that Your Captain allowed to come with you both on the ship and to the surface.:
:And how do you plan to get away with that with the rest of the crew? Some aren't so.Malleable.: Malcolm asked.
"I'll tell you some time.: Was all the wolf would say.
Malcolm rolled his eyes and Archer and Trip blinked back to life. "So?" he asked.
"We should head back to Enterprise now." Archer said shaking his head, "I think this heat is giving me a head ache."
"Yeah," Trip agreed.
"Well I think I have everything I need." Malcolm said patting a side pocket for his most precious possession. He jumped off the ledge followed by Ethro waiting for Archer to make his command.
"Alright." Archer nodded. "Let head back to the shuttle before another storm keeps us here any longer."
Back on the ship, Malcolm was half afraid people would look at the wolf oddly, yet none of the crew, not even Phlox or T'Pol, gave the creature a passing glance. He was only vaguely surprised to find his Quarters equipped to house himself and a large animal.
"Magick oh great- and -hairy -one?" he asked only getting a laugh in return.
:If that's what you call it.: Ethro answered. :I assure you this is none of my doing.:
"Great." Malcolm muttered throwing himself onto the bed. "I bet this is 'cause I helped change the past therefore my future."
:Very likely.: Ethro agreed. He looked around the room. :But it looks like nothing ill has come of it.:
"Maybe." Malcolm agreed noticing a picture and a few other items he didn't quite recognize. On his desk was a picture of him, Riley, Graham and Forest holding graduation plaques from Starfleet academy. Next to it was several other pictures of people he knew one hundred and fifty years ago. All the photos were recent; dating back to when he was a young man to just before he left on his mission with Enterprise.
"Soto to Lieutenant Reed." His comm. chimed.
Malcolm pressed the button to respond. "Reed here."
"You have three messages waiting for you." Hoshi answered.
Malcolm Frowned. "From who?"
"Riley, William and Graham" Came the immediate reply. "Who else would write to you regularly then them?"
"Forest?" Malcolm hazard.
There was a pause, Malcolm was half afraid he said something wrong. "Oh, sorry you're right Lieutenant, He wrote too."
Malcolm smiled shaking his head. "I'll retrieve them in a minute, thank you Ensign." He relieved the comm. button and looked back at Ethro. "Oh, I'd defiantly say for the better." Then he frowned. "But I wonder what happened to Xander."
***
"Xander dinners ready!" Sam called through the closed bed room door.
"Be there in a minute!" Xander called back then turned to the newly appointed Angel standing in the middle of his room. "Thank you, Anyanka."
The petite woman in while smiled at him. "Call me Anya now. And it was no problem. It was the least I could do after you helped me."
"Anytime." Xander said with a smile, "And good luck."
Anya smiled and winked out leaving the boy alone in his room. Xander smiled to himself, hoping the gift he sent his friend in the future was good enough to help him out with his new understanding of the universe. Until he saw Malcolm again that is, but even then the future held many possibilities.
He shook his head bounding out of his room under the fuel of the last soda he had. Sam and Spike looked up at his entrance into the kitchen, but didn't comment on his hyper state. Until instead of sitting down to his dinner he continued standing bouncing on his feet in the middle of the kitchen.
"Xander sit." Spike ordered. "Your dinners getting cold."
"Can I go patrol with Buffy?" Xander asked still bouncing.
Spike raised an eyebrow. "Can you sit still for three minutes?" he asked.
"Err.no?" Xander said helpfully.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Go."
"Cool." Xander said bounced out of the room and out the door.
"Can-" Sam started looking after Xander.
"No," Spike said. "You have homework."
"Aww man!" Sam whined.
***
"So," Whistler asked. "What do you think of the kid now?"
"Impressive." The Being said watching the young man catch up with this friends as if he didn't remember thirty years of demons occupation. "I understand how why they call him the Link of Ages. How do we get him to work for us?"
"We don't." another voice side behind them.
The Balance Demon and the Higher Power turned to see the slim blond boy leaning against a tree a few feet away.
"Why not?" Whistler asked.
"Because the Powers That Be send a message." Sam said coldly. "Leave the boy be. He is to remain unharmed and un-harassed by anyone least you wish to be punished for eternity."
"They have plans for him?" The Higher Power asked raising a glowing eyebrow.
"The Oracles have ordered it." Sam answered. "They won't tell their reasons. And I wont either." With that he turned and vanished into the shadows again.
The Higher Power turned back to where the boy and his friends patrolled a frown on Its face. "Watch the boy. If anyone try's to harm him, make sure they suffer."
"Yes, you're Highness." Whistler said bowing his head slightly.
The Being nodded satisfied and vanished in a spark of flames.
***
Some where in one of the various cemeteries Sunnydale housed a young man turned to search the surrounding area feeling something watching him. A moment later he shrugged it off as nothing turning back to what he did best.
Pretend he didn't just save the world again.
Stay Tuned for scenes from the next episode of Ordinary People:
Memories Last
Epilogue
"Don't you think we should have found him by now?" Trip Tucker asked as he and Captain Archer walked through the desert like surface of the planet. "Do you think he found cover?"
Archer glanced at his companion giving the man he considered his best friend. "Don't worry so much Trip. Malcolm will be just fine."
"You bet I am Captain." A familiar English voice said from above them.
Archer and Trip looked up to find Malcolm Reed sitting on the upper ledge of a small cliff. He smiled down at them while petting a wolf like creature sitting next to him like they were old friends.
"Malcolm?" Archer asked uncertain of the Weapons officer's behavior.
"Yes Captain?" Malcolm asked still petting the creature.
"What are you doing?" Archer asked.
Malcolm smiled the first true smile Archer and Trip had ever seen on him. "Enjoying the view, waiting for you two, and holding a conversation with Ethro here." He answered patting the creatures head.
"Conversation?" Trip asked. "How?"
"Telepath Commander," Malcolm answered with another smile. "It is how his race communicates. I must say he gave me quite a fright last night, all a misunderstanding mind you. He was very interested in Humans and offered to start negotiations to learn more about our culture."
"Err." Archer started still a bit unbelieving.
"That is." Malcolm continued "If Ethro wasn't the last of his kind. Now he just wishes to get off this planet. I'm sure Dr. Phlox would love to learn about him and Hoshi could learn about Telepaths communications."
Archer and Trip stared at him blankly.
"Err.he followed me home can I keep him?" Malcolm tried. When they continued to look at him blankly Malcolm tweaked the wolf's ear. :Hey no controlling their minds.: In his own head he felt more then heard an echo of laughter as the creature released the officers.
: I'm sure you don't want them asking certain questions about where you've really been.: Ethro's voice floated into his mind. :Favor for Favor. They are unharmed I promise.:
Malcolm didn't seem convinced but kept his mouth shut on that part. :What did you do then?:
Another chuckle. :Oh, reminded them that I'm your pet wolf that Your Captain allowed to come with you both on the ship and to the surface.:
:And how do you plan to get away with that with the rest of the crew? Some aren't so.Malleable.: Malcolm asked.
"I'll tell you some time.: Was all the wolf would say.
Malcolm rolled his eyes and Archer and Trip blinked back to life. "So?" he asked.
"We should head back to Enterprise now." Archer said shaking his head, "I think this heat is giving me a head ache."
"Yeah," Trip agreed.
"Well I think I have everything I need." Malcolm said patting a side pocket for his most precious possession. He jumped off the ledge followed by Ethro waiting for Archer to make his command.
"Alright." Archer nodded. "Let head back to the shuttle before another storm keeps us here any longer."
Back on the ship, Malcolm was half afraid people would look at the wolf oddly, yet none of the crew, not even Phlox or T'Pol, gave the creature a passing glance. He was only vaguely surprised to find his Quarters equipped to house himself and a large animal.
"Magick oh great- and -hairy -one?" he asked only getting a laugh in return.
:If that's what you call it.: Ethro answered. :I assure you this is none of my doing.:
"Great." Malcolm muttered throwing himself onto the bed. "I bet this is 'cause I helped change the past therefore my future."
:Very likely.: Ethro agreed. He looked around the room. :But it looks like nothing ill has come of it.:
"Maybe." Malcolm agreed noticing a picture and a few other items he didn't quite recognize. On his desk was a picture of him, Riley, Graham and Forest holding graduation plaques from Starfleet academy. Next to it was several other pictures of people he knew one hundred and fifty years ago. All the photos were recent; dating back to when he was a young man to just before he left on his mission with Enterprise.
"Soto to Lieutenant Reed." His comm. chimed.
Malcolm pressed the button to respond. "Reed here."
"You have three messages waiting for you." Hoshi answered.
Malcolm Frowned. "From who?"
"Riley, William and Graham" Came the immediate reply. "Who else would write to you regularly then them?"
"Forest?" Malcolm hazard.
There was a pause, Malcolm was half afraid he said something wrong. "Oh, sorry you're right Lieutenant, He wrote too."
Malcolm smiled shaking his head. "I'll retrieve them in a minute, thank you Ensign." He relieved the comm. button and looked back at Ethro. "Oh, I'd defiantly say for the better." Then he frowned. "But I wonder what happened to Xander."
***
"Xander dinners ready!" Sam called through the closed bed room door.
"Be there in a minute!" Xander called back then turned to the newly appointed Angel standing in the middle of his room. "Thank you, Anyanka."
The petite woman in while smiled at him. "Call me Anya now. And it was no problem. It was the least I could do after you helped me."
"Anytime." Xander said with a smile, "And good luck."
Anya smiled and winked out leaving the boy alone in his room. Xander smiled to himself, hoping the gift he sent his friend in the future was good enough to help him out with his new understanding of the universe. Until he saw Malcolm again that is, but even then the future held many possibilities.
He shook his head bounding out of his room under the fuel of the last soda he had. Sam and Spike looked up at his entrance into the kitchen, but didn't comment on his hyper state. Until instead of sitting down to his dinner he continued standing bouncing on his feet in the middle of the kitchen.
"Xander sit." Spike ordered. "Your dinners getting cold."
"Can I go patrol with Buffy?" Xander asked still bouncing.
Spike raised an eyebrow. "Can you sit still for three minutes?" he asked.
"Err.no?" Xander said helpfully.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Go."
"Cool." Xander said bounced out of the room and out the door.
"Can-" Sam started looking after Xander.
"No," Spike said. "You have homework."
"Aww man!" Sam whined.
***
"So," Whistler asked. "What do you think of the kid now?"
"Impressive." The Being said watching the young man catch up with this friends as if he didn't remember thirty years of demons occupation. "I understand how why they call him the Link of Ages. How do we get him to work for us?"
"We don't." another voice side behind them.
The Balance Demon and the Higher Power turned to see the slim blond boy leaning against a tree a few feet away.
"Why not?" Whistler asked.
"Because the Powers That Be send a message." Sam said coldly. "Leave the boy be. He is to remain unharmed and un-harassed by anyone least you wish to be punished for eternity."
"They have plans for him?" The Higher Power asked raising a glowing eyebrow.
"The Oracles have ordered it." Sam answered. "They won't tell their reasons. And I wont either." With that he turned and vanished into the shadows again.
The Higher Power turned back to where the boy and his friends patrolled a frown on Its face. "Watch the boy. If anyone try's to harm him, make sure they suffer."
"Yes, you're Highness." Whistler said bowing his head slightly.
The Being nodded satisfied and vanished in a spark of flames.
***
Some where in one of the various cemeteries Sunnydale housed a young man turned to search the surrounding area feeling something watching him. A moment later he shrugged it off as nothing turning back to what he did best.
Pretend he didn't just save the world again.
Stay Tuned for scenes from the next episode of Ordinary People:
Memories Last